A Man Who
by DC Luder
Summary: A look at what might have been... Scully must choose between the life she has made for herself and the life she once had.
1. Default Chapter

Title: A Man Who...

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Scully has attempted to leave Mulder after his disappearance in Oregon, but

memories of what she once had with her partner do not surrender so easily.

X

The November sky was brisk that evening, as threatening rain clouds seized the moon and its diamond stars. I sat on the swing porch, wrapped in a gray wool blanket and sipping steaming apple cider. I rocked back and forth; the only sound heard was that of the creaking swing. However, when I had first come out a half of an hour ago, the howling winds had not drilled its tolerance into my eardrums yet. Now they had.

A warm hand grips my shoulder and is followed by a hard flat stomach pressed against my back. I leaned into it, feeling the comfort envelope me. I could sense the smile that I presumed to dominate his face. I was about to ask him what he was thinking when the warmth disappeared. I turned to see...

Nothing.

He was nowhere in sight.

"Mulder?" I called out. I set my mug down on the gray wooden porch and got up, leaving the blanket bundled together. I looked down towards the road and around the porch. He was nowhere. Then I remembered. He was gone. Taken by the unknown in the woods so many years ago. I couldn't bear the memories of what could have been, so I had left DC and moved to New York. I had Mulder's son, a gorgeous little boy who had his father's eyes. Eyes that sometimes make tears fall from mine when I look at them...

And I had met Dave, and he had replaced the empty feelings I had when I left Mulder behind in DC. He didn't mind raising another man's child. He understood the circumstances I told him and accepted the boy as his own. He wanted to name him Travis, but I wouldn't let him. I think he understood that I needed to name him, although he never asked.

And here I am, Dr. Dana Katherine Baker for six years now. Six long happy years with a caring husband and a wonderful child. Or at least I have tried to convince myself that I'm okay, and that I can go on without Mulder. But sometimes, just one look into Will's eyes and I question if I had done the right thing by marrying Dave. Images of Mulder's face, of his mind and body haunt me forever. I love Dave with all of my heart, but then I love Mulder with all of my soul. He made my life complete, even before Will. And to think he might be out there, not knowing where I am or if I'm safe...

I grab the mug and blanket and enter our house. My body tingles with the shock of temperature difference. A smile replaces my empty frown and I head for the den. Will is up in bed, recovering form a nasty little cold bug that was running through all of the first graders. I've never told him about Mulder being his real father, although I had planned on doing so. Then Dave convinced me it would be too difficult for him to comprehend his father being a man he'd never meet and another man living in the same house. So Dave is called Dad. Not Mulder.

Entering the den, I see my husband sitting on the sofa. Dave is pecking away at his laptop, his brow contorted in thought. I sit across from him and finish my cider. Folding the blanket, he realizes that I am there. "Hey, Dana. Why did you go outside?"

"I needed some quiet time."

He frowned, "In thirty-seven degree weather?" he asked, removing his glasses. He saved what he had been typing and closed the computer. He ran a slender hand through his dark gray hair, clipped close and neat. With the same hand, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked up at my with the caring green eyes I had come to know so well.

"Yes, in thirty-seven degree whether. The blanket and cider prevented hypothermia, so don't worry."

His frown reversed into a slight smile. He got up and sat beside me, taking me into his long muscular arms. We rarely had quiet time, and when we did, it usually ended in uncomfortable silence. "Dana, is something wrong?"

I looked at him, "No, why do you ask?"

"You seem... Detached somehow. Is it work?"

Well, Dave, honey-bunch, you see there was this man I left behind in another life, I left my soul with him and lately I've been experiencing odd moments when I feel he is sitting next to me, holding my hand, embracing me, kissing me...

"No, just thinking about Mom," I lied.

"Yeah, I think we should go visit her this weekend. Check out her new boyfriend."

"Mom doesn't have a boyfriend..." I retort, smirking at him.

"She told me this afternoon. Seeing a man you know... What was his name...?"

"Describe him."

"Well, she said he was tall, a little younger than her, he served in the war... Walter maybe?"

"Walter Skinner?" I blurt out.

"Yeah, that's him, Walter Skinner. She said you used to work for him when you lived in DC."

I was stunned. My mother going around with Skinner... Yuck. I love Walter Skinner dearly, but him going out with my mother. It was bizarre to even ponder it.

"So, do you want to?" Dave asked, caressing her cheek.

"Want to what?" I asked, leaning against him, just as I had thought I had been doing with Mulder moments ago...

"Go see Mom and Walter."

My voice was constricted in my throat. Going to DC would mean going to where Mulder once was. Memories that I have tried to rid of would flood my senses by just being in the area where we became Scully and Mulder. Where we became partners. Where we became friends. Where we became lovers...

"Well?"

"Um... Uh, I'll call Mom and see."

With that I got up to call my mother when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it, Dave," I called out. I briskly walked to the door, unlocked the chain and opened it. I didn't look through the fish eye lens, and greeted the nocturnal visitor with a smile of curiousity. I nearly passed out at the sight of the tall lanky man, wearing blue jeans and a black leather coat. A man with graying hair and unruly bangs that never had been tamed completely. A man I hadn't seen in six years, and was thought to never see again. A man holding a small bouquet of roses and baby's breath.

A man who had stolen my soul many years ago.

X

"I made this!"

X


	2. Speechless

Title: A Man Who…: Speechless

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Mulder's take on the night he plans to reunite with Scully after years apart

X

I shouldn't have even been there.

Was it fair to interrupt another's life in order to right your own fault-ridden existence? I had thought so, and that this action would make my life easier, but as I sat in the car with the November wind whipping around me, self-doubt had settled in the pit of my stomach.

My car was parked ten yards down the street from her front porch. She had been sitting on a swing, enveloped in a thick blanket and holding a steaming mug. I envied her almost as I stared at my cold coffee cup. Would that be a good introduction?

Hey, Scully. How have you been? Any coffee left?

She seemed to be in a state of extreme serenity. Her icy eyes were mostly closed and her refined face tilted slightly in my direction. Even after all of this time, she was beautiful. Her hair was longer and she went by a new name, but other than that, she was still my Scully. I cringed every time I thought of her like that, in the possessive. But it was true. She had been mine and I had been hers. After so many years of being at each other's side and protecting one another, we had been invincible together…

Almost invincible.

I could hardly recall any of my missing time. Those months spent with forces unknown have been taken from me forever. My memories end with Skinner and I in the woods and begin with waking up to a very concerned Skinner in a hospital four months later. And when he had told me that Scully had moved on…

My chilled fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter, which brought me back to the present. I stared at her as she rose suddenly and began to search the porch, as if something had caught her eye then vanished. After retrieving my binoculars, I focused on her face as she collected her belongings.

The placid features had died out and were replaced with worry and sadness.

Was this "Dave" the cause?

Or perhaps another problem…

With my minimal connections with the Bureau since my forced "retirement", I had learned quite a bit about the man who stole my soul mate. Educated at Brown as well as Indiana State. A Midwesterner. I could just picture a twangy accent calling her name. He was a tall man at six-four and one hundred and eighty pounds of evil Scully-stealing flesh.

Optimism had never been one of my strong points.

I even called a favor into IRS and found household earnings of the Baker household to average at about ninety thousand a year. That didn't strike me as odd. The part that put anxiety into my heart was under the section of dependents, where I saw the name of their child.

William S. Baker.

At that moment, I had been determined to find a way to get to her. I had to see to believe, just as with anything in my life. Skinner pleaded with me to rethink my actions, but his words had fallen on deaf ears. I wasn't about to lose her again.

After six years, I had finally been re-licensed to drive, approved by numerous doctors to be of sound body and mind and of course, most importantly, emotionally prepared to face my worst nightmare come true.

I waited another minute or so before getting out of my car. I brushed back my bangs once more, straightened my jacket and then retrieved the roses form the passenger seat. With each step that I took towards her door, my insides churned and boiled even faster. Countless thoughts and scenarios flooded my mind.

What if she doesn't remember me?

What if she hates me?

What if he answers the door?

Even worse, if the young boy did…

Suddenly, I found myself at the door, with my finger pressing the doorbell. My mind screamed for me to run as fast as possible, but my legs were frozen in place. I heard a telephone ring within and then the soft patter of footsteps on hardwood floor.

The door pulled away suddenly, revealing her, dressed in the same garb as five minutes ago. Her hair was still mused by the wind but a smile had returned to her beautiful mouth. Her eyes glowed with anticipation. But the second she looked at me, it all went away. The smile rapidly was displaced by an expression of shock and her eyes widened in fear.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't speak. Instead, I rested a leg and smiled at her.

And offered her the bouquet of roses and baby's breath.

X

"I made this!"

X


	3. Tears Shed

Title: A Man Who…: Tears Shed

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Dave's POV on his marriage to Scully and the sudden arrival of their "guest"

X

Dana and I had a fight last night. Not a huge brawl, nor were there cusses and flying cast iron pans. We had simply disagreed about Will. I had wanted him to go to school today while she felt that he needed another day of rest. Considering her medical background, I'm sure she had her reasons, but Will was six, and needed to realize school was important.

More important than a day off with Mom, cinnamon buns and cartoons.

However harsh, I had not yelled at her last night. We planted our feet, spoke sternly and then agreed to disagree. The thing about our marriage was that we had never truly allowed ourselves to argue, especially with Will in earshot. Dana told me that her parents had rarely argued, especially when the "Captain" was home. My parents had rarely done so either, so perhaps our peace is the result of such good breeding.

When we first met, she was eight months pregnant and had come in to the ER with false labor symptoms. I had been the attending physician at the time and had nothing better to do, so I had seen her.

Then a week later, I had dropped by her house with Chinese.

Three weeks after that, she had given birth in my hospital to a gorgeous dark haired boy with big silver-blue eyes.

And not even three months after that, we were engaged.

I haven't really thought of Will not being my son. He was indeed sired by another man, but the child knew that I was his father. It wasn't the other man who taught him how to spell or ride a bike or how to clean a fish tank. Where was the coward that left Dana, alone and pregnant with an unknown future? I had vowed if the day ever came that I would meet him, I would beat him within an inch of his life and then demand to know how he could have possibly hurt her in such a way.

When I had first moved in, I could remember hearing her cry in the shower. She would never mention anything about, and I would never press the issue. We were great together, and there was no reason for me to ruin it by burdening her with the past.

But we weren't Rob and Laura Petrie, happy couple of the century.

Our arguments were never about anything important, like the Will thing. It would be silly, like I would have to work the weekend her mother's birthday was or she couldn't go to Thanksgiving with me to my parents in Vermont because of her work. Married doctors and their busy schedules rarely coexist well. But we made it work. For Will.

For us.

No matter what got in our way, we would overcome it and look back with a smile.

But lately, she had seemed distant. I had asked her three days ago at breakfast if she was all right. She had nodded sadly over her Grape Nuts, "Fine." I knew something had been bothering her, but without being too obvious, I studied her and found little that was "fine."

She had dipped a bit in eating, and since she never really ate to begin with, it was a bit troubling. She seemed a bit depressed, nothing clinical or suicidal, but still glum. In bed at night, she would roll away from me and silently cry to herself. If I touched her arm to comfort her, she would shiver and shake her head, "No, Dave."

And the worst of all, after three years, she came out of the shower with red eyes.

Had he called her out of the blue?

Visited her at work?

If he had, he was surely a dead man for intruding upon my wife's happiness. She no longer needed to be tormented by him. He just needed to accept that he had made a mistake and now he must face the consequences. And my fists.

I sat in the den, finishing a lecture outline for an upcoming seminar for interns while she sat out on the porch. In the summer we, would sit side-by-side and sip cold beer as our eyes took in the glorious sunset. It was a quiet place where we could forget about work and bills and the future of our son and just be ourselves.

But there was no way I was going to sit out there in the freezing November winds.

As my fingers finished typing the outline, she entered the room, her face red but a smile on her lips. She seemed happier, at peace. She sat across from me and after she had folding the thick blanket, I asked, "Hey, Dana. Why did you go outside?"

Her smile lessened a fraction, "I needed some quiet time."

I frowned and looked up from my work, "In thirty-seven degree weather?" I asked while removing my glasses. I saved my document, closed the computer and then ran my hand through my short bristly hair. I then rubbed the bridge of my nose and looked at my wife.

"Yes, in thirty-seven degree whether. The blanket and cider prevented hypothermia, so don't worry."

A smile replaced my frown as I got up and sat with her. My arms circled her body and drew her near to me. "Dana, is something wrong?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"You seem... Detached somehow. Is it work?" She had been putting in quite a few hours lately, keeping her mind off of other things?

"No, just thinking about Mom," I lied.

That sparked a thought, of my call from Maggie a few hours earlier, "Yeah, I think we should go visit her this weekend. Check out her new boyfriend."

"Mom doesn't have a boyfriend..." she smirked at me and reclined against my chest.

"She told me this afternoon. Seeing a man you know... What was his name...?"

"Describe him."

I paused, recalling Maggie's soft voice and rich laughter, "Well, she said he was tall, a little younger than her, he served in the war... Walter maybe?"

"Walter Skinner?" Dana said, her voice rigid and stunned.

"Yeah, that's him, Walter Skinner. She said you used to work for him when you lived in DC," I replied, the name now registering. Assistant Director Walter Skinner. After a moment, I asked, "So, do you want to?" and caressed her cool cheek.

"Want to what?"

"Go see Mom and Walter."

She didn't reply, or even seem to acknowledge my words, her mind once again drifting elsewhere, "Well?"

"Um... Uh, I'll call Mom and see."

She glanced at me quickly before heading for the phone. Just as she was out of eyesight, I rose to follow her, excited to see her so lifted in spirits. Before I even left the room, the doorbell rang and she answered it. I continued, curious to see our late night visitor.

But when I saw the leather coat and flowers and handsome face, I felt the molten stone of anger settle in my stomach.

X

"I made this!"

X


	4. Confrontations

Title: A Man Who…: Confrontations

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Scully tries to believe Mulder has returned…

X

He hadn't changed.

Perhaps a few more grays in the dark strands, but other than that it was a mirror image. Same half-smile and suggestive eyes. But this couldn't be Mulder. He was missing, thought dead, a victim of his own crusade. This man may have looked like Mulder, smiled like Mulder and stood like Mulder, but it couldn't be him.

Because if it was, I had given up on my best friend when he needed me most.

My hand somehow reached forward and took the flowers while my mind hummed with shock. I hadn't even felt Dave's hand as he placed on my waist. He cleared his throat, "Can we help you, Mister…"

"Mulder. Fox Mulder," he said in his calm voice.

My knees suddenly felt weak. I leaned into Dave's arm and then pushed back, forcing him out of the doorway, "Mulder, uh…"

"Thanks, it's a bit chilly out here."

Dave shut the door, his eyes locking onto mine over our guest's shoulders. I looked away and stared at my partner. His face was just as it was the day he left for Oregon…

And then my trained forensic mind took over, and spotted several small scars in a column on both of his cheeks. Had they done that to him…?

"Scully, you look, great."

I smiled nervously, not knowing what else to do in front of Dave. My mind screamed for me to wrap my arms around him and squeeze the life out of him just to be sure it was really him. Instead, I studied the flowers. Gorgeous red roses in full bloom. The scent was seductive and soothing. Just like Mulder…

"Water," I announced suddenly, "I need to put these in water." Before either of the men in my life could offer assistance to get away form each other, I dashed towards the kitchen, my mind in complete chaos. I was a doctor, a scientist. I had the gift of reasoning. What were the odds that this was an alien bounty hunter out to get some kicks by dredging up my past? Or perhaps a clone of Mulder that we never knew about?

Or he was in fact the man who had sired my child.

As I watched water fill a small vase in the sink, I heard a soft couch from the rear door. Will stood in his Superman pajamas rubbing his eyes, "Mom?"

I shut the water off and set the flowers in the vase, "What, Will? You should be in bed."

"I heard the door. Did Ms. Kelly bring my work?"

Lord, Will, if you only knew how much I wished it was your worry-wart teacher with your missed assignments. "No, just someone looking for directions."

"Oh. Can I have a Popsicle?"

With my insides all astir, I really didn't care if he had just brushed his teeth not even two hours ago. I dove my hand into the freezer, retrieved an orange twin pop and handed it to him, "Will you have to go to bed, okay." I leaned over kissed his slightly warm forehead and watched him head towards the stairs.

It then dawned on me that Mulder might know about Will.

Why else would he suddenly show himself after six years?

After taking a few deep breaths, I returned to the foyer to find Mulder and Dave caught in a staring contest. Perhaps I should have found some alcohol while I was in the kitchen…

"Mulder… I can't even…" Tears brimmed at my eyes suddenly, but neither of them noticed, "Dave, can you check on Will?"

He seemed insulted by my suggestion and then stormed off towards the rear of the house, muttering to himself. I then took Mulder's hand and dragged him to the kitchen. As soon as the door had shut behind us, my arms wrapped around his neck and the sobs that had been held in my chest exploded. His hands closed in on my shoulders as his arms wrapped around my back. I could smell is musty cologne and sunflower seeds. It was then, as he stroked my back and whispered in my ear that I realized how impossible it had been to live without him.

For nearly a decade we were side by side, covering each other's backs in the field and in the office. We had done stakeouts together in the dead of the night, entertaining each other with droning games of "Twenty Questions." Towards the end, we flirted shamelessly without even knowing it. The subtle gestures, jokes and innuendos. We had fallen in love together, slowly, but steadily. Neither of has had none until it was too late.

"_If there's an iced tea in that bag, it could be love…"_

"_Must be fate, Mulder. Root beer."_

"Scully, you all right?" he asked as his hands cupped my face.

I stepped back, released him and suddenly felt the heat of anger. My doctorate reminded me of the levels to shock.

Disbelief.

Sudden grief.

Anger.

"Am I all right? Mulder, where have you been? Do you know how much I've been through? For Christ's sake, you show up on my door years after I accepted you for dead. It's like seeing a ghost!"

His lips turned downward and his arms fell to his sides, "I know. I'm sorry…"

A twinge of guilt squeezed my heart. I hadn't meant it, Mulder, please don't look at me like that. The way you looked at me when your father died. When my father died. When my sister died. When I told you about the cancer. When you left me behind and went off to Oregon with Skinner…

"No," the tears slowed, but still dribbled down my hot cheeks, "Please… It's just that…. Mulder, I have a new life. Seeing you, just..."

"Brings up bad memories. I understand."

He began to turn when I grabbed him, "No. Mulder, not at all. Just the thought of you being here in my house in unbelievable. Dammit, Mulder, there was a funeral service and everything…"

"I know. Skinner showed me my grave. 'A loving son, friend and honorable agent.' A little sappy for my taste."

Only would Mulder joke at a time like this.

His half-smile had returned, "Scully, I've tried to come sooner. Skinner wouldn't bring me and Frohike was too depressed because you married another man. You should see the 'Scully Shrine' he's got. Verge of obsessive."

Just thinking the squat man with wispy hair and an adoration for me made me laugh a bit. I touched Mulder's arm again, this time maintaining the contact. He stepped forward and I leaned back against the fridge, feeling the bite of the handles in my spine.

I couldn't honestly say who moved first. Whether it was my hand to his neck or his to my hips. Nor could I tell if my fingernails scratched his scalp under the dark hair first or if it was his fingers sneaking underneath my shirt.

Or whether his lips came down to mine or if mine went up to lock onto his.

X

"I made this!"

X


	5. Explanations

Title: A Man Who…: Explanations

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Dear lil Will…

X

Dad seemed very upset when he walked into my room. I thought it was because Mom had given me a Popsicle or that I was still up when I was supposed to be sleeping. But he didn't say anything except, "Will, you doing okay up here?"

I nodded and finished my treat.

"Okay, let's get you back in bed."

I rolled over under my covers and allowed him to pull them up to my chin. After I put the stick on my night table, he kissed my forehead, "G'night Will."

"Goodnight, Dad."

As he shut the lights off and was about to shut my door I called out, "Dad?"

"Yeah, Will?"

"Where was the person going to?"

He seemed confused, so I continued, "The person at the door. Mom said he needed directions."

I watched his face wrinkle with anger, "Directions."

Without explaining, he shut the door quickly. I listened to his footsteps and waited until I was sure he was downstairs. Then I flipped back my covers and fell to the floor next to my door. Staring into the hall through the crack between carpet and door, I saw the varnished wood of the hall, the door to the bathroom and the legs to a small credenza. No people feet.

I opened my door and army-crawled down the hall to the stairs that lead to the kitchen. One by one, I slowly made my way to the kitchen. Hiding behind the small Dutch door, I peered into the room. It would have been normal view of my parents kissing, which is gross by the way, if Mom had been kissing Dad. I laid there, not even breathing and watched my mother kissing some tall guy the way they do on those nighttime shows.

Dad suddenly called out from the hall, "Dana?"

Mom and the guy shot apart from each other and gasped. I hid further behind the door as Dad entered the kitchen from the side entrance off of the hall. He stared at them coolly and then asked, "Mr. Mulder, I hate to do this, but I wish you would leave my house."

Mom jumped, "Dave, what is that for?"

He said in the voice he used on my to get me to clean my hamster' cage, "Dana, he doesn't need to be here."

"I just wanted to drop by, I wasn't going to stay, Mr. Baker…."

Dad suddenly jerked when he looked at Mr. Mulder. He then swore, "You sonfabitch!" as he punched the tall guy right in the mouth. I clenched my fists and silently cheered my dad on, wanting to see him kick this guy's butt for kissing Mom.

Mom screamed at Dad and grabbed his arm as Mr. Mulder flew backwards and started to fall. On the way down he hit his forehead on a drawer handle and blood splattered. Instead of fighting with Dad, she knelt next to the man and asked, "Mulder, you all right?"

He nodded and stood, his hand pressed to the cut on his face.

Dad then ordered, "Get out of my house. Now."

Scully grabbed a washcloth off of the counter, "Follow me, Mulder, let's get that taken care of."

"Dana…"

She swung around and yelled, "Don't you 'Dana' me. What is the matter with you!"

Before he could answer her question they started walking towards me, "The upstairs bathroom has a first aid kit..."

Uh oh.

I rose and flew up the stairs as quietly as possible and then ran into my room. After burying myself under my covers, I listened over my puffing breaths as they climbed the stairs.

"Can't believe he did that… Not a violent person at all… What was he even angry about, oh. Jesus, Mulder, why did you have to come here."

He mumbled, "Sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"Okay."

"The lip stick. The one day I wear lipstick… And you get it all over your face."

"Well, you were the one who…"

"Mulder, shut up. This is going to sting."

I felt his pain as he yelped. Alcohol. Ouch. I scraped my elbows up learning how to roller blade. Spent all of last summer with open wounds doused with that evil, evil liquid.

I continued to eavesdrop after I crawled over to my door. Through the crack, I saw the bathroom open and saw them in the bathroom. He looked to be sitting on the bathtub rim while she walked around him.

"Wipe your face," my mother ordered. She sure seemed to be treating this guy like she treats me.

"Yes, sir!" he laughed and then moaned. Not too good of an idea to laugh after getting punched. I even knew that.

When I was waiting to hear her yell at him some more, I was surprised when I heard her crying. Mulder talked to her softly. A cracked open my door and saw her in his arms as she sobbed into this chest. Mom never cries. Except at silly girl movies or sometimes when she laughs really hard.

But never like this. It made me want to cry just seeing her so sad.

I listened as he said, "Scully, it's okay. I'll come back some other time and we can talk…"

She sat up, "Mulder, I don't want you to go."

I hoped they weren't going to kiss again.

"Mulder, you have now idea how much I have missed you…"

"You have Dave. And Will."

He knew about me? Oh great.

"I know, but… You left and now you're back. And alive."

"But I left you. It was right for you to… move on."

She sighed, "Not by choice."

He smiled slightly, "Well, my goal tonight was to find out if you were happy with your new life. And since you are crying all over my new shirt, I take that as a no. Either that or I ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything, Mulder. Seeing you is just… Emotional."

"Thanks, I'm emotional."

She smiled at him as she stood and reached for the bandages, "Yes you are. You made me sad and happy, and you made Dave jealous and angry."

"Just think of what I can do to that mind of your son."

Oh, I don't think so. Just as I moved to shut my door, Mom said, "Well, he's sleeping now, so you'll have to emotionalize him some other time."

"Which room?"

I jerked and slammed the door shut much harder than I had intended. I then hid in my closet after my mom laughed, "In that one."

This was a dream, Will, I told myself. There were so many reasons why it was a dream that it must, in fact, have been a dream.

A. Mom doesn't kiss strangers.

B. Dad doesn't hit people.

C. Mom doesn't cry.

All simple reasons why this is a dream. As I wrapped myself up in a huge sweater Mom gave me a two years ago, I slowed my breathing and calmed myself. To focus I read the front of it: Oxford Academy Men's Cross Country. A funny picture of guys racing each other in a forest. Interesting.

I then read the sleeve's embroidery and choked: F. Mulder '82.

X

"I made this!"

X


	6. Sweet Dreams

Title: A Man Who…: Sweet Dreams

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: And Mulder's up to bat in this round

X

I smiled softly as I stared at the bedroom door. I could just picture the baseball wallpaper, army man toys and dirty sneakers. If only Scully and I hadn't been separated, perhaps we would have been able to decorate our own child's room together. I touched her hand and stood. She followed suite and said, "Mulder, I think it would be best if you... Left for the night. Tomorrow, I'm sure Dave will be cooled off… I'll explain things to him."

After a little nod, I replied, "It would probably be a bit quieter around here if I went to the Holiday Inn, huh?"

"Do you have a room?"

I nodded again, "Yeah. I wasn't even planning on any of this. I just… I actually didn't even have a plan, to tell the truth."

"You were just going to sit out on my street in your car all night? What if I hadn't been home?"

"Well, my jaw wouldn't hurt, for one thing," I frowned as she slapped my shoulder. Even with the years we've been separated, we hadn't lost the humor. It was just like old times, her doctoring me up. How many times had I stumbled into her masterfully decorated apartment, bruised or sick or drunk? Too many, far too many.

As we made our way to the stairs, I looked back at the bedroom door. If only we hadn't been separated…

Miraculously, we avoided seeing Dave on the way out. She grabbed my coat and handed it to me. As I put it on, she slipped hers on as well as a pair of shoes, "I'll walk you out."

"Fine by me, G-woman."

We walked silently down the street towards my vehicle. However when we reached it, neither one of us wanted part our ways. Her hand touched my face softly, "Mulder..."

"Yes, Scully," I replied as she hesitated.

"I… In the kitchen…"

"I'm sorry," we said in unison. She giggled a bit before regaining her composure.

"No, Scully. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. You're married. It was wrong of me."

"Mulder, I didn't refuse you did I?"

She had gotten me with that one, "No, but still…"

"Excuses, excuses, Mulder. Some things never change."

"No, but you don't kiss as good as you used to."

Her face grew scarlet and I knew it wasn't because she was cold. I kissed her forehead softly, "We'll talk tomorrow, okay. Breakfast, my treat."

"You? Pay for a meal? I guess some things do change."

I watched her step to the curb as I got in the car. Before I could respond to my mind's orders to jump out and grab her to take her away with me, I waved and made my way down the street. As I looked at my face in the rear view mirror, I muttered, "Way to go, Mulder. Real charmer you are."

After ten minutes of driving the dark streets in silence, my cell phone rang from my coat pocket. Keeping one hand on the wheel, I fetched and answered, "Mulder."

"Well?" a stern baritone voice asked.

I smiled. Skinner, my fairy godmother…. "Well, what?"

"Was she home?"

"Yes. As was her slumbering son and her punch-happy husband."

I heard him take a quick breath, "What do you mean by punch-happy? Was he not pleased to see you?"

My blinker clicked as I turned onto the main drag of the town. Cute little antique shops and café windows were darkened and marked with "Sorry, we're closed" signs.

"Not really," I said as I thought of the look on his face when he caught us in the kitchen, embraced in ways that FBI partners, even ex-FBI partners were not supposed to. I decided not to tell Skinner of our reunion's details and said, "He was a little perturbed."

He sighed be fore asking, "Did you see her son?"

"Nope. He was in bed. Scully and I have a breakfast date planned tomorrow. So we can talk."

Silence fell over us. I began to question if the line had been disconnected as I pulled into the parking lot of the ever-vacant hotel. "Mulder, just be easy with her. She faced a lot of problems after you left."

"I didn't leave, Skinner," I said coolly as the engine was cut, "I didn't decide to be abducted. It wasn't my choice!"

"Mulder, calm down. It was no one's choice. No one's fault."

I rested my forehead against the steering wheel with my eyes closed. I pictured Scully's tear-stricken face when I told her about Oregon and how I was to go with Skinner and not her. For her safety. And just moments ago, as she cried into my body, years of pain that I had given her pouring out of her.

It was no one's fault.

It was mine.

We said good-bye to one another and he made me promise to call him after meeting with Scully. I shut the phone off, slid into my pocket and then retrieved my bag from the rear seat. As I walked to the entrance, fatigue settled quickly in my joints. I had been rather awake all day with anxiety and worry, but now with the first hurdle down, I was near exhausted.

The teenaged-boy at the front desk had been watching the news as I approached him. After clearing my throat several times, he took notice of my presence and asked, "Yeah?"

I smiled as nicely as I could at the moment, "I had reservations for a single room. Fox Mulder."

I tapped at the keyboard and stared at it confusion, "Uh, no."

"Uh, yes."

"According to the computer…"

"According to the phone call I made last week, I have a room. You billed my credit card; therefore I am a paying customer. Therefore I have a reservation for a single room," his mouth parted as if the rebut and I sneered, "And don't you even say 'But the computer…' or God as my witness…"

"Is there something wrong?" a soft feminine voice arose from behind me.

I jerked and looked at her. Five-ten, maybe one-twenty with long dark curls that bobbed on wide shoulders. Hourglass figure that reminded me of one too many women of my life. She had on a dark pantsuit and black leather pumps that added another inch to her slender frame. As I looked at the black pinstriped lapel, I read her gold embossed nametag: Lynda Harper: Hotel Manager.

I stammered before the kid could, "Yes. I paid in advance for a room and now it isn't available."

"Hmm," she uttered softly as she walked over to the desk. She tapped on the keys and smiled, "There are no single rooms, but I can offer you the Jacuzzi suite, honeymoon suite or the family suite."

I leaned over the burgundy and hunter green counter and put on my best puppy-dog face, "Ms. Harper. I don't have a family, I'm not a newlywed and I sure don't have anybody to share the water jets with. All I want is the room I paid for."

She smiled and licked her lips. The boy sat completely oblivious and had decided to return his limited attention to the TV. "Well, Mr… What was it again?"

"Mulder. Fox Mulder."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mulder. The hotel is overcrowded as it is. I will offer you a reduced rate, since you have already paid."

I sighed, my knees aching with restlessness, "Fine. I'll be here a week."

"Which suit, did you want?"

I growled, "Jacuzzi."

One hour and thirty minutes later, I was soaking in the hot water with half the mini-bar emptied with bottle strewn about the room. I had repositioned the TV so I could soak and take in some serious HBO, since I was too cheap to pay for it at home. All of the horrid troubles that were feeding on my brain were slowly loosened and floated away with the steam. No Skinner. No taxes. No worry about paying rent or utilities on my meager consultant's fee living. No sore jaw or kinked neck form driving.

No scars on my body that I didn't know the origin of.

No Scully crying because of me.

Just hot water, bubbles and brew.

X

"I made this!"

X


	7. Anxiety of Mr Coffee and Mulder

Title: A Man Who…: Anxiety of Mr. Coffee and Mulder

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Scully's POV before her breakfast "date" with Mulder.

X

It took me five minutes to put the filter in the coffee machine. My hands refused to stop trembling. Was I nervous? Upset? Scared? I cursed at myself as I finally got the paper to sit in the machine.

This was Mulder. Your friend. Your best friend.

When I woke at six-thirty, Dave had left for work, and had also left a note on the kitchen counter. He would be late coming home today and he might not make dinner. I was to call him as soon as possible.

Listening to the coffee perk, I sat at the counter and stared out the window. How had everything changed between us? In one night, with one error of judgment, my husband now wouldn't even talk to me. I recalled getting into bed last night and he had already been tucked in and faced the wall. I tried to get him to talk to me but he refused.

Eventually, I got up and went to Will's room and slept with him.

"Mom," a quiet voice came from the stairs.

I turned to see Will, his dark hair twisted and rumpled and his pajamas twisted from sleep. I reached out and touched his forehead. Nice and cool. I watched as he climbed up onto a stool and stared at me.

I stared back.

He stuck out his curled tongue.

I did the same.

He went cross-eyed as well as curling his tongue.

I did the same and wiggled my ears.

He laughed, "No fair, Mom."

I kissed his cheek, "So, what are we going to do with you. It's Saturday, so no school. Dad's at work and I have to go meet someone."

"Not Dad?"

I jumped a bit, "No, an old friend. We're having breakfast."

"Can I come? I won't cough and I'll put my napkin on my lap," his face lit up at the promise of going out. Our family regularly went to Camille's Restaurant on Sunday mornings after church. With the thought of getting blueberry waffles two days in a row, Will was nearly drooling.

"No, I don't think so, honey. We need to talk about grown-up things."

"Like last night?"

I jumped again. Could he have heard us last night? Surely he knew about the screaming when Dave and Mulder were yelling, but when we talked in the bathroom? His door had shut as we talked. Could he have been eavesdropping?

"Will?"

He nodded and began to roll a grape from a fruit basket on the counter, "Yeah?"

"Were you downstairs last night?"

He jerked involuntarily, "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Um, no. Yes."

The look on his face was stunning. He looked exactly like Mulder, suddenly. Caught sneaking around a government compound or looking through a file he was forbidden to.

I sighed, "Well, you wash up. Ten minutes we leave."

He yelled and leapt off of the stool, "Waffles!"

Alone again, I suddenly realized what I had just done. I could barely ponder the consequences last night with Mulder and Will being in the same house. Now they were going to share a breakfast table. If they couldn't handle it, would I be able to? Would Mulder find Will's eyes to be frighteningly familiar as well as his quirky laugh?

What have I done?

Before I could call Will to tell him he wasn't going to breakfast with me, he flew down the stairs, wearing a nice sweater and khaki pants. With a double-look, I noticed his hair was even slicked back. He paused at the door, "Uh, Mom?"

"Yes?"

"You going to wear pajamas to meet your friend?"

I looked down at my form to see a pale blue tee shirt and matching plaid flannel pants. After smiling at my own foolishness, I went up to my room. I put on a similar dress as Will, khakis and a turtleneck and after looking in the mirror; I decided it made me look short. I then tried on a navy blue skirt and a white blouse.

Again, not complimenting my petite build.

Finally, I decided on a navy blue pantsuit and cream blouse.

After ten minutes of applying make-up and choosing the right perfume, I gasped.

Good God, this was Mulder.

Why was I even doing this? I hardly even get this worried when I go out with friends or with Dave, why was I so nervous about Mulder? Has he changed that much? Not accordingly to last night, no, he was still the same old Mulder.

Just six years older.

Six years grayer.

Six years lonelier…

"Mom!" Will's voice called up from the kitchen.

I glanced at the mirror once more. "Coming, Will," I called back and grabbed my purse. Perhaps this wouldn't be two awkward. Maybe Mulder doesn't know Will is his son.

But if he didn't I would have to tell him.

Halfway down the stairs I turned abruptly and dashed back in to the bedroom. My fingers had ceased their nervous quiver as they rummaged through the small cedar jewelry box on my dresser. A sad smile crossed my lips as I retrieved the necklace.

My gold cross necklace.

I prayed that God would give me the strength I needed.

Hopefully, He would humor me today. Or at least through breakfast.

X

"I made this!"

X


	8. The Infamous Will Baker

Title: A Man Who…: The Infamous Will Baker

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Will's POV (just cause he's the cutest lil thing in the world!)

X

Mom tapped on the steering wheel for the entire ten minutes that it took to get Camille's. Every time I asked if we could listen to music she would shake her head and tap to the music in her head. Or she was just nervous. I wanted to ask her about last night, about Mulder and my sweatshirt but I didn't want to scare her.

Jeesh, was driving fast.

We parked in the small municipal lot between the Columbia Movie Theatre and the pharmacy. I had missed going to see the new movie in town this last weekend because I was sick. But I wasn't really sick, I only was sneezing by Friday night.

But Mom was a doctor and she knew best.

After the car was parked I hopped out, my taste buds very much impatient for chocolate chip waffles and whipped cream. But just as I reached the front of the car, I noticed Mom sitting in her seat, holding onto her necklace. Her face was sad, like it had been last night.

I waved a bit and she looked up and smiled. I watched as she grabbed her purse and then joined me. I smiled as her hand settled on my shoulder. When I looked up, she was her old self again, smiling and looking at me the way she always does. This Mulder guy sure made her act weird.

When we walked in, Mulder was at a table near the back drinking coffee by himself. Mom froze at the door but I kept going. I was a growing boy and I needed chocolate chip waffles. He looked up suddenly and smiled at Mom. She had followed me over, vigorously chewing on her lip.

Her best sign that she was nervous besides tapping on the closest object was if she bit her lip.

"You must be the infamous Will Baker," Mulder said as he put his coffee cup down. I nodded and sat across from him, forcing Mom to sit next to him. They stared at each other quietly as I looked over one of the menus. Like I needed to.

After a minute or so, April, my favorite waitress walked over and roughed up my hair, "Hey, Will. Double dosing on the waffles this weekend?"

I nodded eagerly and looked up at her. She played basketball at high school, so she was pretty tall for her age. She had dark hair like mine but bright green eyes. She had been my babysitter before she started working at Camille's. I still remember the popcorn fights we used to have and how we would vacuum the kernels up before Mom and Dad got back.

She wrote my order down before I even said it, "Two chocolate chip waffles with whipped cream and chocolate milk." Enough sugar to keep me buzzing about for the rest of the day.

April then looked up to Mom and Mulder and blinked a few times, "Was Mr. B coming? I can get his eggs going…"

"No, he has to work," I spoke up before Mom, "This is my mom's friend."

I watched as Mom's cheeks grew a little red and as Mulder hid his smile with his coffee cup. Mom cleared her throat and explained, "We used to work together when I lived in DC."

April nodded, "Oh. So, the usual, Dana?"

She shook her head, "No, I'll just have coffee and a blueberry muffin."

"All right, and for you?" she gazed at Mulder.

"Um, chocolate chip pancakes. And a side of hash browns."

I jerked at his response and stared at him. He smiled at me and played with the napkin at his seat. I had never eaten with a grown-up who ate kid food. Sure Mom and Dad would eat ice cream and cookies, but my waffles? Never.

This Mulder guy was turning out to be interesting.

While we waited for our food, Mulder and Mom stared at each other and fidgeted. Boring. I decided to open my big mouth, "So where do you live?"

Mulder looked over at me, "Virginia. A few miles out of Washington, DC."

"Are you still an agent?"

He shook his head, "Retired."

That was confusing. He had some gray hair, but he didn't look that old, "Grandpa is 77 and he still works at the fire house."

"Oh, Will," Mom began, "Mulder didn't retire because of his age, he was injured."

Cool, I thought before asking, "Were you shot?"

"I have been, but that wasn't the reason I left. I was kidnapped and the uh, people who took me hurt me."

I nodded and was about to ask for the gory details when Mom shot me a look. It was her way of saying that it was none of my business and I should change the subject. So I did, "Any pets?"

"Some fish."

"I had a fish named Herbie. He died though. I want a dog but Dad is allergic."

Mulder nodded and paused before saying, "Your mom had a dog once."

I looked over to her, "You did? Was it a Doberman?"

She laughed openly, "No, he was a Pomeranian. A little orange puffy haired dog."

Well, I never knew that, "What was his name?"

"Quequeg."

What kind of name was that for a dog? I wanted to get a big dog and name it Butch or Rocky. I remember asking for a dog when I was five and Dad had come home with a gold fish named Herbie.

Close enough, I guess.

Our food arrived and I inhaled my waffles and rinsed my mouth with the milk. It was the only chance a kid ever got to have chocolate for breakfast and I enjoyed every bite and gulp. Mom picked at her muffin and Mulder finished his plate shortly after I did.

Right after Mom took a bite of her muffin, I cleared my throat and asked, "So, what's your first name. It's not just Mr. Mulder, is it?"

The man smiled at me as my mother rolled her eyes. "It's Fox. And your first name is my middle name."

"Cool," I said softly, as I remembered the sweatshirt. F. Mulder. Oh boy. My curiosity in full swing, I asked, "Where did you go to school."

He leaned back and motioned for the bill, "Lots of places. I went to grade school and high school in Massachusetts, have you ever been there?"

I shook my head, must be some weird place. I like New York. Easy to spell, too.

He continued as April handed him a slip of paper, "And then I went to England for college and then I came back and went to FBI School in Virginia."

"Mom went to FBI School, too. Were you friends then?"

Mom shook her head, "No, Will, I didn't meet Mulder until a few years after he graduated."

"I want to go to FBI School. Do they let you shoot things?"

Mom's eyes hardened as she glared at me. We were in public so she wouldn't reprimand me. Mulder stepped in and saved me, "Only targets. And being an agent is more than having a gun. Lots of studying and paperwork, too."

"Oh, papers. I had to write a paragraph for school and read in front of everyone."

"What was it about?" he asked, pulling out his wallet. I chewed on my lip as I noticed the money. Maybe I still wanted to be an FBI agent. Or at least a retired one. Bet I could get those new sneakers we saw at Jason's Sport Shop…

"Um, we had to write about what we liked about school. I wrote about lunchtime and tater tots and how if I smiled nice Mrs. Clark in the lunch line I would get extra curly French fries on curly French fry day."

He smiled and stood, "I prefer waffle fries, myself."

I stood also as Mom watched us in awe. She never could understand a conversation like that. If she were a guy, maybe she could understand the importance of a good French fry.

I walked with him and he handed me the money and tapped the counter. Dad never let me pay. I smiled and stood tall, glad to be so important. April took the money and winked at me. After winking back, I said, "See you tomorrow, April!"

Mulder and I walked out to the small parking lot with Mom behind us. He turned once he reached his car, a cool black two-door with tinted windows, and looked over at Mom. She was smiling awkwardly as she approached us. I watched them and it was almost as if they were reading each other's minds or something. Weird. They were a few inches apart when I remembered how they had kissed last night. Maybe Mulder and Mom were more than friends.

I knew he was a friend of mine now, even if he made Mom cry. He was just like me, except older and he had a cool car.

He touched Mom's shoulder and leaned in close to her face and whispered into her ear. She smiled a bit and whispered back. Must be secret agent talk. Someday I would be able to speak it. But I would still be like a kid, not like a grown-up. I'd be like Mulder, eat chocolate chip waffles, like to talk about French fries…

I'd be an awesome FBI agent.

Special Agent Will Baker, FBI.

With a cool car.

X

"I made this!"

X


	9. Family Tree

Title: A Man Who...: Family Tree

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Enter the Skinman……………

I should have never let him go up there. Especially alone. Lord only knows what trouble he has already gotten himself into, wandering about her town, taking flowers to her house. Where she lived happily married and as a mother of one.

In the last few years, I had remained dormant in Mulder's quest to find Scully. And when compared to his search for his long lost sister, this search was driven by more than the love of another. But the need he had for her. He needed to see her, to make sure that his recovery wasn't all a dream. Or a nightmare.

He had been forced into retirement after his return six years ago for the Bureau was too stupefied to know what else to do. They claimed he was a liability, with unknown abuse or trauma done to him. I had been at the hearing when they asked for his badge and weapon. He sat quietly, barely three months after his hospitalization. The scars on his face stood out clearly. Pitifully. He was pale and considerably thinner than he usually was, which made his suit hang loosely on his frame.

And he just sat there quietly, perhaps the most uncharacteristic thing I had ever witnessed of him. Never had he just taken a beating. Usually he stood in an outrage and was ready to dish it out just as it was being served to him.

Instead he nodded softly and walked up to the committee desk and laid his badge on the table. And then his gun. He nodded again and shuffled to the door, leaving each being in the room utterly shocked. It was then that I had realized that whatever "they" had done to him was no match to him finding out that Scully had left DC.

For Mulder's sake, and for my own conscience, I remained close to him in the following months. I snagged him a consultation position at the Bureau that would allow him income and minimal work hours. To keep tabs on him, I accompanied him to dinner and bars often, to make sure he didn't overdose himself on alcohol and that he made it home safe. He had definitely slipped into a depressed funk. I could recall drunken rambles of suicide, murdering aliens and how his life was ruined. His aggression also increased through the months. I arrived at his apartment one day to find everything strewn about, books ripped and dead fish lying in a broken tank.

So I ended up taking him in for professional help. The doctor's declared him to have post-traumatic distress disorder, which accounted for the uncanny behavior and violence that melted down into depression. He needed to be supervised so that in case he became seriously delusional he didn't hurt himself or any others.

They put him on Prozac and a sedative to maintain his insomnia, which I knew he had suffered from for quite some time. He moved into my apartment for the first few months and stayed in bed quite a lot.

After the initial adaptation period, he moved back to his place, sober ad serious about working and also looking for Scully. I had tried to convince him to put it out of his mind, but I was no match for his reason.

He claimed he just needed to know for sure.

Not even two weeks after he had left, Mulder found her. He had shown up at my apartment, stumbling drunk and crying out Scully's name. I had ushered him in quickly, trying to calm him. I had finally found out what Scully had to go through whenever he decided to show up, unannounced in the middle of the night. I set him up with strong coffee and tried to get him to rationally explain what had happened. He simply sputtered and withdrew a tattered printout and handed it to me.

I quickly read the information and began to realize why Mulder was so upset.

It was a page off of the Scully website, designed by Scully's sister-in-law. As I studied the names of the family tree, it hit me like ice water. The offspring of William and Margaret Scully were typed out in calligraphy: Bill, Melissa, Charlie and Dana. Under each of them, was their own family. Bill was married and had two children. Melissa was listed as deceased. Charlie was married with one child and Dana…

Scully was married and had a child?

After Mulder's abduction, Scully became aggressive for his search. However, time went on and authorities practically gave up and declared him dead. What weak and distant family he had left agreed and had a funeral service for him.

Scully had shut down deep inside that day. At the funeral, she barely shed a tear and was silent throughout. Afterwards, when I had walked her to the car, she told me that she was quitting the FBI and that she was going to move away. I had attempted to question her motives but she had brushed me off.

Just as Mulder had when he told me that he was going to go and visit Scully and her new family.

He had called me last night after I had checked in on him. Told all about his introduction to the Baker clan, with the exception of the child. I could tell by his voice that he was emotional, but I was unable to determine if he was depressed or angry, for his voice in both scenarios are eerily calm.

I had been debating since tat call whether or not to go up to New York and to help Mulder return home safe. He had only been there for two days and already he had gotten in a fistfight with Scully's husband and had a breakfast date with Scully. Of which he hasn't called me about. I dialed his cell phone and was greeted with his voice mail. I left a brief message for him to call me before hanging up.

Maybe everything was all right. Maybe the whole family had accepted Mulder and they were having a late dinner. Passing dishes and smiling, telling stories about their adventures in the FBI.

Of course this was Mulder.

Nothing could ever be so simple. Throughout the two decades that I have known him, he has never done anything simple and pleasant. Anyone that had ever met him could vouch for that, even if they were his friends.

I sat back on my couch, Labatt's in one hand and the remote in the other. News was too repetitive, info-mercials were too mind numbing and the sports were overpopulated with steroids. My retirement form the FBI was in three years. Since it was overstaffed with new rookies, I was denied the option of working past my retirement. Not that I didn't mind. I had been with the Bureau for most of my professional life, a few years more of rest and relaxation replacing paperwork and haggard meetings weren't going to harm me.

But Mulder's link to the FBI rested on my shoulders. Of course he could rely on the few agents that supported him and his work as a consultant, but the new and improved Federal Bureau of Investigation had no room for Mulder's uncanny ability to crack unsolvable cases and profile raging madmen. Now it was all technology and spiffed up agents wearing Armani.

Maybe it would be best if Mulder worked outside of the Bureau, if not as a moonlighting private investigator than perhaps he could return to psychology and open a small practice. Help lost children find their way again.

He sure needed something to fret over other than the life he cold have had with Scully.

We all needed something to drive towards. For me, it had been success. I had reached it, by becoming the Director of the FBI four years ago. For Mulder it had been many things. It had been his quest to find his sister, to reveal the truth, to prove to the world that there were other forms of life outside of this planet. After he had moved past those goals, he finally settled on the one he would never be able to obtain.

Happiness.

Scully made him happy, whether he ever knew it or not. Their bickering ways were flirtatious and challenging to one another. Their arguments were fueled by knowledge and dedication. Their love…

Was lost.

And as much as Mulder deeply wanted to revive a spirit, some ghosts are better left alone. His presence in the Baker residence was surely bringing out ghosts for Scully. Perhaps ones that she had buried six years ago at Mulder's funeral. Ones that she thought she would have never seen again.

I set the remote down and let the beer bottle fall from my fingers and on to the carpeting. As foam spilled from its lips, I cradled my head, with my hands.

I recalled the little Scully family tree that Mulder had given me that night so long ago. How the name of Scully's child had been faded from being touched. Mulder hand handled the paper so extensively that it was nearly ruined, but only in the boy's name. William.

Had this been the child he had dreamed of one day siring? Had he thought that his name would be inserted where David Baker's now sat? Was he going to New York to see that the family tree was true?

Or was he going to saw off a branch in order to climb into the position next to Scully?

Mulder had rarely expressed violence to strangers, and mostly only to criminals or to those who had harmed his life significantly. But that was before the abduction. This Baker had taken his love away from Mulder, the crime of all crimes.

And if wasn't taking his medications… On top of any drinking…

I wondered if he had even told Scully about his condition. Knowing Mulder, he had not.

My form rose suddenly and walked to my bedroom. I grabbed a bag from my closet and began to snatch clothes from my closet and dresser drawers. Three things crossed my mind as I hastily packed the small carry-on bag.

What were the odds of getting a flight into Syracuse at eight-thirty at night…

Dave Baker had punched Mulder last night.

And Mulder still possessed a concealed weapon.

X

"I made this!"

X


	10. Of Love and Lipstick

Title: A Man Who…: Of Love and Lipstick

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Well, we haven't heard from Dr. Baker recently….

X

Being the head of emergency medicine at the hospital, I actually had an administrative office on the second floor. Since the ground floor had been so tight for space with the ER and the clinic, the director of the hospital thought it best to provide offices for all the division directors on the second floor. Whether it was so they could keep a better eye on us or to just have an excuse to tighten the already choked budget was the question.

I didn't mind in the least. Although nothing spectacular, I had a nice view of the town's main park a well as air conditioning and heat. Med students in my charge often frequented my office with their dilemmas instead of handling them on the floor below.

Dana helped me redecorate after we were married. She picked out a nice rug and a new chair that better complimented my ancient oak desk. The file cabinets were replaced with newer versions and then the near bare walls were filled with framed photographs of my family. I would spend my office hours and lunch breaks in their, studying every feature of my wife and child.

That day, I simply glared at the door.

I was a rational man who tended to analyze things a bit better than others. I rarely jumped to conclusions, nor did I ever assume things. I was a fact-finder, a truth-seeker, and always had been. As a child, I solved the mystery novels well before the protagonist.

But I could not get the image of my wife's lipstick on the lips of another man.

They were close, I knew that much. She had entertained us all with her unbelievable tales of her days in the FBI. Her infamous partner who had given up everything to seek out his abducted sister with the uncanny ability to profile the insane. Fox Mulder. She had told me very little of his life since she left the bureau. Perhaps she didn't know, having lost touch with him over the years. It had always boggled me, especially after talking to police officers I knew, how that tight of a bond was lost by her simply leaving the Bureau. When partners were separated on the force, it was heartening and they kept in touch socially if not in the workplace.

So why was my wife's ex-partner kissing her in my kitchen?

Relationships in any work situation were dangerous. If they had become involved, perhaps that was why she had left. Not wanting the burden of having to work aside him after a nasty break up. Perhaps he had become jealous over the man that had impregnated her.

I sat back in the over stuffed chair and stared listlessly at the med charts on my desk. I had come in on a Saturday in hopes of finishing up loose ends before next week. Working overtime, especially on a weekend, bothered me. I loved going out with Will or taking Dana out to dinner and a movie. The thought of being in my quaint office all day was usually nauseating.

But right then and there, I couldn't possibly think of anything I'd rather do.

Aside from beating up Mulder. No, rational as I was, violence wasn't the answer. Moping about in my office was satisfying my urges to pummel a complete stranger to near death. I would take my anger out of filing away charts. Maybe hit the gym and take on the Stairmaster.

I picked up the phone suddenly and dialed Dana's cell. I listened to it ring three times before her voicemail connected, "Hi, this is Dana Scully-Baker. I'm unavailable but please leave your name and number and I'll call you back as soon as I can."

After taking a deep breath, I spoke, "It's just me. I should be home around noon, didn't know if you wanted to get something to eat with me or not. Call me, I have my phone and pager. Bye."

Without thought, I called the house and found a similar situation, a few monotonous rings followed by an answering machine. However, the second time, I left no message.

I returned my attention to my charts, finalizing documents before filing them away for my records. Upon entering med school, my dream had always been to have a small private practice with a beautiful wife and loving children. Well, I was on my way to that goal.

Dana had told me her conceiving of William had been a miracle, especially after intensive radiation treatments for her cancer. It was so odd that she had survived such a harsh disease, but even more so that she had succumbed to it in the first place. I would have given anything to have been there by her side at those painful moments of her life. Other things as well, such as her father's passing and her sister's death. How she had survived it alone I would never understand. Sure she had her family and Margerat, but without true companionship, sometimes the pain is hard to deal with. My brother had died of leukemia when I was eighteen, pushing me into the field of medicine. I had no love interest to share the burden with and I ended up bottling it inside.

But Dana was a fighter, and was a survivor in any scenario.

"Dr. Baker?"

I looked up to see an Emily Carver, a second year intern at the hospital. She was a nice young woman, over-excited and stimulated by her work but also an intelligent and accomplished doctor. Having a hand in her training was an honor.

"Yes?" I asked as I set my pen down.

She stepped into my office, her brown hair in a frazzled bun. She had pulled off the night shift many times before, and somehow she tried to keep her spirits up running off of no sleep in thirty hours. Her green scrubs were wrinkled and bore a small bloodstain on the sleeve. She smiled, "There's someone downstairs looking for you. I was on my way up here anyway so I figured I would save the desk from having to page you."

My mind sparked in memory of a elder man who had planned on bringing his grandson back to have his stitches checked. He was a friend of my father's and I generally was the only one who treated him and his family in the ER. I stood and donned my doctor's coat over my khakis and polo shirt, "Mr. Hendricks is here already?"

Emily shook her head, "No, he said his name was Fox Mulder."

My heart skipped a beat and I involuntarily clenched my fists, "He's downstairs?"

"Yes, he wanted to talk with you if you had time available. Do you want me to send him up?"

I almost declined, then realized the territory of my office was more intimidating with the layering of family photos. I nodded, "Sure, send him up."

Emily smiled again and nodded diligently. While I awaited my guest, I pulled out more files to clutter my desk and ran my hands through my hair to mess it up a notch. I heard solid footsteps on the quiet corridor and then proceeded to furiously scribble on charts as he paused at the door. He cleared his throat, "Dr. Baker?"

I looked up to see his solemn face. The cut on his forehead wasn't too bad and there was a small bruise on his face where I had struck him the night before. Other than that he was the same, sporting casual dress of dark blue khakis with sandals and navy and gold checked polo. To others, we would have both appeared to be ready to hit the golf greens together.

I nodded and gestured to a small leather chair that Will frequented when he came to visit me after school. He offered a quiet "thanks" and sat down, his eyes never leaving my face, "I'm sorry to interrupt you at work…"

"Quite all right. I hate working on Saturday. C'est la vie."

An awkward silence fell between us. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as he studied the pictures, his facial expression filled with more despair as he analyzed each one. I decided to step forward, wanting him out of my office as quickly as possible.

"So, you wanted to talk?"

Mulder nodded, "Yes, about last night. I want you to know what happened was my fault entirely, Scully… Dana had nothing to do with it."

"What exactly is 'it', Mr. Mulder?"

"I… I kissed her, and I shouldn't have. I don't know the extent of what she told you about us, what we were, but…"

I cut him off, "She told me you were partners in the FBI for seven years. You were great friends and worked very well together."

A sly smile fell on his lips, probably recalling one of their extravagant adventures. "Yes, we did. But…" he stopped and studied his hands.

"I really don't need to hear if there was anything more than just a friendship. Dana and I are married, we have a family. I'm sorry you two broke up and separated…."

His eyes jumped up suddenly, filled with a mixture of anger and insult, "We didn't break up, I was kidnapped. She left me."

Interesting turn of events. His entire form changed before me. Muscles tightening in his arms and twitching around his eyes, his color intensifying in his cheeks and on his neck as his heart raced. I suddenly wondered if he was going to retaliate in Round Two.

He took a few deep breaths before I stated, "Well, then perhaps she needed to escape from her old life. To move on, so to speak. And maybe you should as well." My words were unkind, but I also didn't want this nut to be chasing my wife around behind my back.

He stood suddenly and stepped towards my desk as if her were going to grab me. I appropriately moved back in my chair and looked up at him in confusion. He pointed at a family portrait, specifically at Dana. His eyes were wild as they darted form the phot to my face. He opened his mouth in a snarl. As quick as he had changed, his face loosened and returned to its sober state as he dropped his hand to his side, "I'm sorry. I need… I need to go."

I watched as he turned on his heel and sped out the door. After a beat, I rose and followed him into the hall and watched as he got into the elevator and selected a floor. As the doors closed, the look on his face was something I hadn't seen since my internship on the psych wards.

One of my first psych patients on that rotation had been a young woman who had witnessed her father's suicide. Although she could be reasonably calm and collected, anything that remotely sounded like a gunshot would set her off into a manic state. With a cocktail of drugs, they were able to maintain her outbursts, but not all the time. Cupboard doors shutting and gunfire on televisions would still set her off. As a learning study, I, who had never witnessed violent trauma, was unable to understand the severity of her condition. I had never been interested in psychiatry because I never could understand why people wouldn't just get their act together.

And as I studied Mulder's lifeless blue eyes, I wondered what traumatic event he saw.

When the elevator car closed and began its descent, I stood in the hall, unsure as to my next move. Surely, the FBI wouldn't have hired a disturbed individual to work on such extensive cases. Would they? And aside from that, let them work with a female partner? Dana was a doctor; did she know of any mental illness? He had seemed unusually placid last evening, and then over-anxious in my office mere fourteen hours later. On and off again on his medication? Split personality?

Or was paranoia creeping under my collar, trying to find the worst in the infamous Fox Mulder?

I just hoped, for the first time in my life, that I was wrong.

X

"I made this!"

X


	11. Through Her Eyes

Title: A Man Who...: Through Her Eyes

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Mulder is confronted by Skinner as to his intentions…

X

I strode as quickly as possible from the elevator to the main exit for the emergency room. That had not gone as planned. How was I supposed to rationalize with a man who had taken Scully from me? Who had pictures all over his office of her and their child? I almost hit him in there, barely able to keep control.

What was happening to me?

Before leaving DC, my doctor had checked me out, declaring grand improvements in my behavior and thinking. I was clear-headed and as he said "obviously on the path to recovery." Was all that gone? Reduced meds hadn't caused any problems at home, why was I so out of it here?

I got into my car and sat quietly in the parking lot. Although a weekend, the lot was full of cars and people bustling to and from the hospital. As my fingers tightened their grip on the steering wheel, I watched as a small family bustled towards the Walk-In Clinic's door. The parents could barely have been thirty-five, with worried faces free of wrinkles and dark brown hair clear of grays. The mother held the hand of a young and sniffling blonde girl dressed in a pale yellow dress with matching sandals. In the arms of the father, was a baseball uniform clad second-grade boy.

A family trip to the emergency room.

Any trip I ever made to the hospital as a child had been at the hands of my father. However, all of my medical charts had listed my injuries as "a result of sports accident." The looks the nurses gave me as they held cold packs to my bruised face said otherwise…

I jumped as my cell phone rang suddenly. The Caller ID listed: AD Skinner CELL.

I tempted letting it ring, but then changed my mind. "Mulder."

"Mulder, it's just me. Checking in."

"I think I'm a big boy now, Walt," I grinned, trying to picture his reaction to my forced calmness.

"I know that. Mulder, listen, I called earlier…"

"Yeah, I got your message, sorry for not returning it. I had some things to do earlier."

"As in breakfast with Scully."

"And little Will."

He paused before responding, "You met her so---, the boy?"

I sighed as he caught himself from saying it. Her son. "Yeah. He's great. Really bright too. A little brown haired Scully, he's even addicted to chocolate and everything." Although my voice had gone detached, my heart fluttered with emotion. The child of Scully, so much like her and so little like that arrogant…

"When are you coming home?" Skinner asked suddenly.

I paused, "I don't know." And I didn't.

"Mulder, I don't think it's such a good idea to drag everything out of the past like this. It can't be doing any good for Scully to see you all of the sudden, and I know damn well that it's no good for you."

He was pulling rank, voicing thoughts he wouldn't have had we been equals. But his rank was no longer that of a superior agent to me, but more. A paternal figure showing concern for his son.

"I'm sorry, Skinner. I don't know if I can walk away. I told you all I wanted to do was see her again but now… It's just gotten complicated. I'll sort things out, talk to her again. And we'll take it from there."

"We, Mulder? For Christ's sake, she's married. Are you trying to do what I think you're doing?"

"Impose upon a cheery and happily married couple? I think not." I took a breath and pondered telling him about our kiss. How everything had seemed like life was back to normal for me in that brief moment before Dr. B had walked in.

"Mulder," his tone was that of frustration and hopelessness, "I know this has to be difficult for you but think about Scully. Do you think it's any easier to see you out of the blue? Let alone her family?" he paused before talking quietly, "I had three friends MIA in 'Nam. Mulder, back then we were all hopeless and stupid but we knew they had to have been dead. Eight years after the war ended, I ran into one of them at the bank. I nearly fainted at the sight of him. He smiled at me and told me how he had gotten out and had a family started. How he had put his past behind him to move on with his life."

I paused, absorbing his story. I knew he meant well, but my subconscious took it as an insult, "So you're telling me to forget about her?"

"No, Mulder, I didn't mean it that way."

"Because it sure sounded that way. Put my past behind me so I can get my act together. So that means I have to forget everything in my work with her. Hell, why stop there, why not go all the way back. College, school, my sister's abduction, my father getting wasted and practicing his baseball swing on my back!"

"Mulder, please, calm down…"

"I am calm!" I yelled loud enough for a passersby to look my way. All right, maybe I wasn't calm.

An uneasy silence fell between us, of which I wasn't about to break. Finally, Skinner sighed, "Mulder, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please, just… Just think about Scully. Think about what this is like through her eyes, and not yours."

With that, he hung up on me.

I sat motionless for well over a minute before shutting my phone off and putting it in the glove compartment. Through Scully's eyes. I had been dead to her, she had even said it herself. Was it lust last night, when we kissed? Was it not for love?

My gut surged with the thought that she didn't love me. I felt my skin crawl with the realization that she could feel something for another man. Especially that man. She had to have felt something, at least enough to leave me for dead and to marry and have a family and to live happily ever after.

For years, when we had been partners, everything had revolved around each other. Our work, our social lives or lack there of as well as family. Whenever something happened in any aspect of our lives, we were together to support one another. Our fathers dying, the end of the search for Samantha and Melissa's demise, Scully's waltz with cancer and my numerous face-offs with near-death, not to mention any time we had been in the line of fire for one another.

Wasn't that love? To cherish, honor and protect? To devote one's self to another being?

When did Dave Baker, M.D. ever cover Scully in a raid or hold her as she shed tears for her sister? When did he take the heat for her in a committee hearing? When did he do anything for her that was worth something, and not just buying her a nice house to live in?

He didn't now what it meant to love Scully.

Only I did.

Just from knowing him for less than twenty hours, I already knew that Scully's husband took her for granted, especially about how powerful and wonderful she was. All he thought of her was a pretty little wife with a medical doctorate. He didn't see the fire that was just beneath her jade eyes.

But I did. And I had last night, when we broke from our embrace. The Scully I knew and loved was still there, just beneath the skin of Dr. Scully-Baker.

My head snapped suddenly, and I found myself driving down the main drag of the town, ten miles over the speed limit. Window shoppers and midday gatherers glanced in my direction as I sped past. In my mind, I had no direction. Driving had always allowed for me to settle my nerves. In England, I would drive the countryside the night before exams, sometimes all night. My first car when I was seventeen was my sole link to sanity. Whenever things got to bad at home, I would leave and tour the shorelines, lapping lake roads and driving to the coastlines.

I would settle myself down; take Skinner's advice. See things through her eyes.

She may think she's in love with him, but that could be fixed.

It may take some work, but I never was a quitter.

X

"I made this!"

X


	12. Happily Ever after

Title: A Man Who…: Happily Ever After

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Yeah, Walt's in the game now!

X

Surprisingly, when I landed in New York, the weather was nice for autumn. Foliage that was once green had turned into golds and reds and the sun was actually shining. Every time I had ever visited the state, either for work or leisure, it had been dismal, dark weather that had me craving for the moderate Atlantic climate in DC.

I found my small bag that they wouldn't let me carryon in the luggage carousel with surprising ease. It had my weapon and two changes of suits. The security system prevented even an agent to take on a firearm since a criminal could take it away and use it on others. I would like to see some hijacker take my gun away form me. Bastard wouldn't be able to walk for months if he even attempted.

After renting a sedan from the Syracuse Airport's Hertz base, I navigated my way from the main highways west towards the hilly roads that lead to Scully's location. After two hours of spell binding scenery and winding roads, I was ready for a pit stop. I pulled over at a rest area and walked around. It was nearing late afternoon and the sun was beginning to head westward.

I had timed myself so that I would arrive at her house hopefully when she was home and no one else. Earlier, I had called the hospital where she worked and was glad to hear that Dr. Baker was in but Dr. Scully-Baker had the weekend off.

Hopefully all went well.

Having Mulder up here made things a bit more complicated, for there was no telling where he was and what his plan was. Even calling him didn't help because there was no way of knowing if he was telling the truth or covering his own hide. I hoped he would steer clear of her for a few hours so I could try and sort things out.

So I could tell her what was really going on.

On some level, I'm sure Mulder understood that Scully had moved on in her best interest. She couldn't work at the Bureau anymore after he had been taken so she left the area to start a new life. To cope with the life she had cherished being shattered before her eyes. So she did things she always had wanted to. Worked as a doctor, got married, had a family.

But then again, as much as Mulder wanted Scully to be happy, or so he said, every fiber of him yearned for her to be happy with him and no other. It was expected, especially after they worked for so long aside one another. Unfortunately that was the case at hand and I was all but certain that he was about to change it.

The question was whether or not Scully would leave her happy life to try and recreate one that she had lost. Her and Mulder had been closer than any other couple I had ever seen, and not just romantically. Spiritually, emotionally and mentally, they worked in a true partnership. It was almost too perfect.

I had called Mulder from the airport just as I was about to leave. He had seemed irritated and everything I said to him seemed to feed the fire. So I stated my point bluntly and hung up on him. Probably not the best course of action, but it needed to be done.

With thoughts of Mulder barging in and taking Scully form her happy marriage, I got back into the rental and finished the hour trek to Scully's house. New to the town, it took a good fifteen minutes to locate her address amongst all the other humble and homey houses.

It was almost picture perfect.

Beautiful pruned hedges, raked yard and evenly painted house. It seemed to fit Scully very well.

I parked a block up and decided to approach on foot, uncertain as to whether Mulder was there or not. His car was absent, but that hardly meant anything with him. After taking the steps to the porch, I heard music coming form inside. Light jazz filtered through the walls and tainted the quiet air. I paused and then rapped three times on the door. After ten seconds it opened and I held my breath.

He couldn't have been more than six, with dark hair and crystal eyes. He smiled goofily at me and stared intently at my face, as if he were trying to recall my name. I had seen pictures and Maggie of course talked about him all the time but this was my first real introduction to the Scully child.

"Hi," he said as he opened the door further. He wore wrinkled blue jeans and blue long-sleeved tee with a sports logo on it in lime green. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I was wondering if your mother was home, I'm Walter Skinner."

Will looked over his shoulder and then stepped back as his mother appeared, wide eyed and out of breath, "Skinner?"

"Hello, Dana," I managed before she tackled me with an embrace.

"Oh, it has been way too long," she exclaimed as she released me. She smiled and bit her lip before she turned to her son, "Will, go finish setting the table, bud."

"Okay," he mumbled and trudged away.

"Come in, come in," she motioned me in and I followed. She stared at me with a soft smile I hadn't seen in ages.

Before she had a chance to speak I said, "Is Mulder here?"

"No. Mulder?" she was visually taken aback, "How do you…?"

Not knowing what else to do, I blurted out, "Scully, I know Mulder came up here. He told me before he left."

Her smile faded, "What?"

"He told me, said he was taking a trip to see you, to get out of the city for a while and to also settle some things with you," I frowned and walked over to a chair and sat quickly, "When he came back, after the… kidnapping, he lived with me, so I could help him get back on his feet. He's on his own now but we're still fairly close."

"Skinner," she looked around warily, "I don't think this is the time---."

I looked up at her, pleading "It is. I need to get this out. I should have a long time ago and I'm paying for it now."

Scully sighed, glanced once more to the kitchen and then walked over and sat across form me on the couch, "Okay. What's going on? First Mulder shows up after six years and now you're here telling me it's your fault he's here?"

"Sort of. I offered several times to contact you for him and to tell you that he was back. But then he refused the offer, needing to do things on his own."

"Well, that's Mulder."

"Exactly. And he was as determined as ever, but maybe a bit too much. The doctors said his drive for the goal of finding you was therapeutic for his condition, that it gave him something to focus on."

Her face had grown even more confused, "Wait, his medical doctors? Is he ill? Is he dying?" she asked as panic over took her fine features.

I paused, suddenly aware of the fact that Mulder hadn't told her anything about his condition. Maybe this wasn't the time. Too late for that, Skinner.

I took a breath, "He has some psychological problems as a result of the abduction. Stress disorders and depression mainly. He was doing fine until he caught on to the fact that you had a family. That you had a son."

Scully rose to her feet and faced away from me, "Jesus, he never even, didn't even mention it."

I sighed, "Well, that's Mulder."

She nodded slowly. Will suddenly returned, "Mom, can I watch TV?"

I scanned the room to find a set in the rear corner. Scully nodded, "Why don't you watch in my room?"

"All right," he rushed out of the room and raced up the stairs with incredulous speed.

All the while, his mother had been watching him with watery eyes. She paused, "Is he on meds?"

"Yes, as far as I know. But generally when he goes off them he gets erratic."

Erratic as in violent, I thought to myself.

She shook her head as turned back to me, "Walter, I had no idea it had gotten that bad. He seems fine."

"I know. But I've seen him when he's down and Scully, it scares the hell out of me."

Scully sat down again and looked down at her hands, "How did he find out about me? About us?"

"He found a family tree for the Scully family on the Internet. And it listed Will as your son with David Baker."

She let out a laugh and it almost scared me.

"I've seen it. It's not very accurate though. Actually, it's not their fault for posting it wrong; I guess it's mine. After all, Dave's the only one that knows besides me."

"Dana?" I asked, her words being clear but confusing.

She looked up at me once more, "It shouldn't be Dave's name next to mine. It should be Mulder's. He's Will's real father."

I sat back, my breath suddenly failing me. What was she saying?

That she and Mulder had produced a child together, one that Mulder had no idea of. She had a baby that was his, who was raised by another man and would most likely continue on that way. Had she told Mulder? Was that why he was so upset?

Was that why he was trying so desperately to take them away?

So he could have the life that he wanted?

A safe job, a wife and a child?

A life that ended happily ever after.

X

"I made this!"

X


	13. Home Sweet Home

Title: A Man Who…: Home Sweet Home

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Paging Dr. Scully-Baker!

X

I sat stoically, staring intently at my feet as Skinner watched me. He was shocked, that was for sure. I was as well; the last thing on my mind had been to confess to him that Mulder was involved in this whole mess more than anyone knew.

For years, I had kept everything to myself, even from my mother. After I had finally accepted that Mulder had died, I knew had to move on, that he would have wanted me to keep on living my own life. But in reality, my life was over, the life that I had lived only existed because of Mulder. I then had to take on the daunting task of renewing myself. And carrying Mulder's child inside of me made the work all the more difficult.

I had moved north, to a small quiet town, leaving the big city life far behind. No one knew me, or knew what I had once been. To them, I was the sweet doctor who would always lend a helping hand when needed. I was the woman who was always at church on Sunday and was present at every charitable event put on by the hospital as well as the school. I was Dr. Dana Scully, and then shortly after, Dr. Dana Scully-Baker.

They didn't know I was from Georgetown, Maryland and had worked at the FBI. There I had been someone who shot down countless thugs, chased conspirators and had run alongside the best of them. They didn't know that had lost my sister as a result of my work or that I had faced death and danced with cancer. I wasn't the Ice Queen of Quantico or Spooky's hot partner. I wasn't Special Agent Dana Scully.

And here, six years later, after my own resurrection, everything was coming back to haunt me.

I had always trusted Skinner, not only as a superior but as a human being as well. He knew right from wrong and would stop at nothing to defend himself and those around him. When I had left DC, I told him I would keep in touch. From the look in his eye that day, I could tell he thought we would never see each other again.

And I hadn't doubted it either.

My mother had toyed with the idea of meeting him socially for years, after several brief meetings that always revolved around either myself or Mulder being in danger or injured. She would call regularly to speak with her grandson and then would chat with me about how I should come visit her for a weekend to myself.

Skinner must have told her that Mulder had returned. Hadn't he? Or perhaps she had been in the dark just as I had been. She had always been fond of Mulder, most notably of his devotion to me. I remembered calling her the day Mulder had been taken, entrusting my greatest fears with her. She had been hurt as well, by his "passing" and had always been there to comfort me in the first few months. She had accepted things and had gone on with the present. Moving day to day with hardly a passing thought that he might still be alive…

I finally looked up and met his eyes, was about to voice my previous thoughts and was interrupted by a timer sounding in the kitchen. I gasped, rose quickly and moved directly towards the sound. I retrieved two potholders from a drawer near the sink and proceeded to remove the lasagna from the oven.

When I turned to set it on the counter, Skinner stood in the doorway, his face solemn and unmoving. The "why-do-you-think-that-you're-getting-off-that-easy" look I recalled from countless meetings in his spacious office where Mulder was forced to defend his actions or his outrageous expense reports. Usually the latter.

I sighed and set the steaming dish down.

"Walter, I---."

He cut me off, "Dana, does he know?"

He didn't need to clarify who "he" was. Mulder. I had so desperately wanted to tell him, especially after seeing him and Will practically bond at breakfast. It was uncanny how well they hit it off, joking about my poor dog's name and Mulder letting Will pay for the meal… But then again, Mulder had always been good with children, let alone his own son. A natural father. More so than Dave?

I bit my lip and faced away from Skinner, feeling the sudden flash of heat and sting of tears. Such thoughts were horrible, and quaked my soul to the core. I had given my vow of honor and love to Dave and had been happy with him and had so much in common. He tended to Will as if he were his own offspring and never failed to keep us happy and healthy. He was a devoted man whom I loved dearly.

I shook my head and heard Skinner sigh, "Dana, he needs to know. With him thinking Will is another man's child, it's only going to tear him apart."

After turning to face him, I replied, "And if I do tell him then what? Walter, I can't separate Will from Dave, who is the only man he sees as his father. How could I possibly explain that to him? I can't have a life split down the middle with Dave on one side, Mulder on the other and Will and me in the middle! We can't do that!"

The tears I had been fighting had brimmed over and spilled recklessly down my cheeks. I had never felt comfortable crying in front of anyone, but I didn't care at the moment. He stood quietly and stared at me, his face solemn and vague. No reply came from his direction.

I took a breath and wiped my face, "It's not fair for Will to have his life turned upside down. He's six years old, he doesn't need to have everything he knows changed in the blink of an eye."

"It's also not fair to let Mulder miss out on his only link left to a life that he's lost forever." He spoke quietly, with a hint of emotion in his voice, "Dana, I'm not asking you to give up custody of your child. I'm not asking for you to leave your life behind," he paused and turned towards the door, "All I'm asking is that you give him a chance. That boy upstairs is his only family left, and he doesn't even know it."

My breath failed as Skinner walked out of the kitchen and silently made his way to the door. It took a full minute for me to sink to the floor, silent sobs shaking my shoulders. My hands cupped my face and became wet with salty tears. I sat on the linoleum floor, my legs up and pressed against my torso as I cried.

I cried for Mulder, and for all that he had missed out on in his life. For his lost childhood, lost time as he faced Lord knows what during his abduction and lost moments with his son.

I cried for Will, never knowing the truth about his father. For never being told who he really was and how much he looked like dad.

I cried shamelessly for myself, for not being there for Mulder when he needed me. After all he had sacrificed for me, I had let him down.

I cried for Walter, for all that he had done for me and for Mulder over the years. Such a generous man asking for nothing in return.

No, he had asked for something.

I heard the front door open and Dave announce that he was home and that dinner smelled great. I heard his steps as he crossed the hall, set his briefcase down and hung his coat. He then called out my name, than Will's, paused and made his way into the kitchen. Once he saw me on the floor, he was at my side in a flash, wrapping his arms around me, asking what was wrong.

That only made me cry harder.

As he rocked me and tried to soothe my pain, I cried for Dave. He had been nothing but wonderful to me for six years and was an honest and noble man who loved his family.

And I had to break his heart.

X

"I made this!"

X


	14. Falling to Pieces

Title: A Man Who…: Falling to Pieces

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Where did Will go?

X

On most weekends, Mom and Dad let me watch a few TV shows. I always tuned into to X-Men and Batman cartoons and when Dad was home, he would sit and watch sports with me. Mom sometimes did but it was different when it was her. During the week, I had to do school work first, then I could watch one show each night. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I had soccer practice and I missed out on anything that was on. I made up for the loss on weekends, but my parents usually kept track of me, making sure my "brain was rotting away" like they always thought it was.

But after watching two back-to-back episodes of Batman and then half of a college football game, I was a little worried.

I pushed my sleeves down and rolled off of Mom and Dad's bed, where I had been huddled beneath the blue quilt. After opening the door, I peeked into the hall and tried to listen.

Mom and the bald guy had been talking in the kitchen when I came up the stairs. Another guy Mom knew from when she was an agent. It was kind of weird. Everyone coming back all of the sudden. I didn't mind Mulder, he was pretty cool at breakfast. This other guy looked kind of mean though, but maybe he was tired. I knew I was always cranky when I had to travel a long ways.

But as I stood there, holding my breath, I heard nothing.

I took a few steps down the hall, my feet quiet on the carpet.

Still nothing.

Then something.

A muffled noise, like through the wall. It was a door opening and then closing. Footsteps. Then Dad's voice, "Dana, what's wrong? What happened?"

Now I was pretty good at listening to people and figuring at what they were feeling like that day. Any kid does. It's practically an art form and a necessary one for kids who want to get things. I moved quickly down towards the stairs and made my way down to the kitchen where Dad's voice was coming from.

And the sound of Mom crying.

Dad had sounded scared when he had asked what had happened. Now I knew why.

Did the man hurt Mom?

No, he seemed okay, not mean or anything. And Mom knew him so why would he hurt her? Then again, Mom knew Mulder and he was a really nice guy but he had still made her cry that first night he came.

I peered into the kitchen, trying to stay as much hidden behind the wall as possible. Mom and Dad were on the floor, hugging and leaning against the counter. Mom was facing away, shaking and Dad had his arms wrapped around her tightly and was kissing her head.

He had never made her cry.

He looked up and spotted me before I could duck. "Will, kiddo?"

I stood in the doorway and watched as Mom sat up and wiped her face. I took a few steps onto the linoleum and asked, "Mom, you okay?"

"I'm fine sweetie, I burnt my hand on the lasagna dish."

I saw the potholders lying next the plate. Must have been really hot to go through them.

It was then that I noticed the bald guy was gone, but I decided not to ask, in case it would upset Dad. He didn't seem to like any of these new visitors, especially when he punched Mulder.

I suddenly wanted to ask if he was coming to dinner, but then Mom started to stand and so did Dad. They both faced me, Dad was quiet and tried to look happy, but Mom was biting her lip to keep from crying again. "Will, honey, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Sure. Can I get a juice box?"

She smiled and nodded. As they walked into the living room, I scanned the fridge and found a Fruit Punch Capri Sun pouch. After stabbing in the straw and a few sips, it was gone and I tossed it in the trashcan beneath the sink. Then, I walked into the living room and hopped on the couch across from Mom and Dad. He still had an arm around her.

Protecting her almost.

"Will, when I lived down in Washington, I was………" Mom paused and looked at Dad. He nodded and she continued, "Will, Mulder was more than my partner."

Of course, he was the coolest friend anyone could have, even a kid, I thought to myself. I nodded, even though I really didn't see where any of this was going. That usually happened but I had learned that by nodding and getting through these dumb lectures was a lot easier than trying to sit through even more explanations.

Mom sighed and then spoke again, quieter this time, "Will, Mulder and I were in a relationship, like I am with Dad."

"You were married?" I asked.

"Not quite, but we loved each other very much. We still do in fact," Dad flinched at her comment and took his arm away from her. She bit her lip again and then said, "In fact we wanted to have a family, but then Mulder was kidnapped, and he was gone for a long time. So long that we all thought he was never coming back."

"So you came here, right? And met Dad," I said, trying to keep the story moving.

"Right, but there was something in between me leaving Washington and coming here. Something I've never told you, Will. You see, after Mulder was taken, I found out that I was going to have a baby. That I was going to be having you."

"I don't understand, how could you have me before you met Dad?" I asked, now completely confused. I was no expert on babies, but from what I had seen from cousins to my friends' families, all babies were in a mom's stomach and all of those mom's lived with the kid's dad's. And if she hadn't even met Dad before she found out about me…

"Will, there's a reason why I found out before I met Dad. You see--," the tears had returned and had begun to fall down her cheeks, "Will, your real father is actually Mulder."

Now I was seriously lost.

My best friend from school was Dave Kelly. We liked all of the same things and we even looked alike, sort of. His mom and dad had gotten divorced when we were four and for a long time Dave lived with his mom. Then last year, a guy came to live with him and his mom, someone completely different from the dad who raised him, someone he had never met. Next Spring his mom was marrying this guy and he would become Dave's step-dad. Weird, but most things about adults were.

So if I had never met Mulder before, did that make him…

"Is Mulder my step-dad?"

"What?" Dad asked, his voice was weak and different.

"Like Dave's step-dad."

"Oh, Will, no, kiddo, what Mom's trying to explain is that really, I'm your step-dad, and Mulder is your real dad."

I went quiet, out of sadness more than confusion. A million thoughts flashed in my mind, countless variations of Dad leaving and me never seeing him again. I felt tears in my eyes as I said, "But I don't know Mulder. I only know you."

Dad got up and sat on the couch next to me. I crawled into his lap and threw my arms around his neck. I fought the tears as hard as I could but I felt my face grow wet as I wept into his shirt. He rubbed my back like he always did when I was upset or hurt and whispered in my ear, "I know, Will, I know. It's okay."

I mumbled, "Don't go away like Dave's dad did. Please."

"Will, I won't, you know I'll always be here," he replied as he faced my mom.

I looked as well, to see her tears had returned. She was over next to me within a second; her arms wrapped around both me an Dad. I let go of Dad and looked at her as she kissed my forehead.

As I settled down, Dad released me and roughed my hair a bit. I glanced back at him to see he hadn't cried a drop but he still looked sad. Mom let me go, but kept a hand on my back. Dad asked, "Do you like Mulder?"

I nodded, not sure what to say to that. Not only had I found out that I have a different dad, but the one I had always had wanted to know how much I liked the new one. I figured the truth was fine, "He likes kid's food, and he has a cool car. He's funny too, for a grown up."

Mom laughed, "Honey, the more you'll get to know Mulder the more you will see him as a really tall kid instead of a grown up."

I looked over at her, "Really?"

"Really."

"Mom, is Mulder going to live with us?"

"No, honey, he's not. Actually, I really don't know what we're going to do with him."

The doo bell rang suddenly and Dad stood and walked quickly to answer it before it rang again. Mom wiped my face with a tissue she retrieved from the end table and asked me if I had any questions. I shook my head and leaned against her shoulder, my eyes fixed on the hallway. I listened to my dad talking quietly and then nothing.

Focus, Will. You're a full-blooded FBI agent, for crying out loud.

Footsteps on the hardwood floor. Two sets of footsteps.

My dad paused at the doorway but even behind his tall form I saw another person.

Dressed in dark jeans, a black shirt and a leather coat.

An older man.

An older FBI man.

My Dad.

X

"I made this!"

X


	15. The Truth is Out There

Title: A Man Who…: The Truth Is Out There

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: Mulder sums everything up for us.

X

By 5:30, I had driven past her house forty-one times that day.

My disaster of a meeting with Dave hadn't made matters any better, only more reasons to keep his guard up against me. I should have controlled myself, but I couldn't. I felt nothing but pure rage as he sat there, smug grin on his face, surrounded by his diplomas and his pictures of my Scully…

After the forty-third time, I parked up the street and then sat in the driver's seat for a few minutes after cutting the engine. Hands still on the steering wheel, I stared at my reflection in the rear view mirror.

My eyes were wide, with dilated pupils. The hair was beyond roused and I tempted to tame it by running a hand through it. My jaw was pebbled with stubble and my Adam's apple jumped in rhythm with my breathing.

What had become of me?

I reached over for the glove compartment door, unlatched and retrieved a pill bottle. I scanned the prescription label. Zoloft. We had switched shortly after I had started on Prozac because it worsened my insomnia. I hadn't taken one since I had started my trip to see Scully. Almost four days. I popped out two tablets and threw them back into my throat.

Good as time as any to start back up again.

I returned the vial to the glove compartment and then looked at myself once more in the mirror. I looked calmer, but not by much.

Finally, I opened the car door and made my way up to her house. Taking my time, I scanned the flowerbed in front of the Baker home. Scully had always loved flowers, but living in the city, she was limited as to what she could store in vases. The lawn was well kept, not a stray leaf or twig in site. Scully's doing? She was always neat and precise. But then again, so many doctors were.

I found myself at the door, my finger pressing the doorbell.

I dropped my hand and waited for the door to open. Just like the other night, when I stood there, roses in my hand and a smile on my face. So much had happened in such a short time. I prepared to ring again when the door opened.

To Dr. Dave Baker.

I must have given him a startled look because he stepped back and stared at me oddly. I tried to calm my features, but as I did so, I noticed his were tense. But not out of anger. His face looked sad and there was a small moisture spot on his shirt. A shoulder that had been cried on?

"Mr. Mulder," he stated, more a declaration for himself rather than a greeting.

"Dr. Baker, I'm sorry for showing up unexpected--."

He cut me off, "No, that's not a problem, it's just that…" He looked towards the living room, "Well, I suppose you should be here if anyone, please, come in."

He opened the door and stepped aside and I moved through the doorway. While he closed it, I stood next to him, studying his features more carefully. Something was most definitely wrong.

He led us to the living room where I was startled by the sight before me. Scully, tear-stained sat on the couch with Will in her arms. Her eyes were closed and she hadn't seen me but the boy had. A look of fear and pain came over his face and I was puzzled beyond reason. That morning we had a nice breakfast, joked about Scully's dog and had a good time together. Now he looked terrified by my presence.

"Dana, Mulder's here," Dave announced.

Scully looked up and opened her mouth briefly before speaking, "Mulder, what are you doing here?"

I had no clue but I had to come up with something aside from stalking her, "I wanted to talk to you. I think we need to clear some things up."

She nodded, chewed her lower lip and then glanced at Dave. He made his way from the wall to the couch in three long strides, picked his son up and then made his way out of the room. The boy had tears on his face as well, but he seemed not quite as upset with my being there, now that he was in his father's arms.

Once they had left, I took a seat next to her and touched her shoulder, "Scully what's going on, did someone, uh, die?"

"What? Oh no, nothing like that, just some… A family discussion."

I was taken aback by this, because I thought it quite odd that any discussion in the Baker family would involve shedding tears by two out of its three members. "Is everything all right? Will looked terrified of me."

She cringed and then looked up at me, straight on. "Mulder," she looked focused, but then her eyes moved away, "Skinner came and visited me today."

"Did something happen to your mother? Scully you can tell me anything," I squeezed her shoulder gently.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes, "No, it has nothing to do with Mom. Did you know he was in town?"

"Not until thirty minutes ago, he called my cell, asked if I had plans for dinner. I actually think he came up here to rein me in and drag me back to DC."

"Pressing matters?"

"Hardly, probably worried I'm getting myself into trouble."

"You? Never," she offered a quiet smile. Finally, a sign of Scully. "He always looked out for you. For the both of us."

Before I could reply any of my countless quirks I reserved just for her, she asked, "Why didn't you tell me about your depression?"

I sat back and allowed my hand to fall from her, confused at first, but then I grew suddenly paranoid about what Skinner had told her in his visit to her. Had he disclosed everything? He had no right to tell her, it had been mine, not his.

My responsibility to tell her…

"Scully, I'm sorry. I should have… It just didn't seem right to unload all of my problems onto you after finding you again. It seemed unfair to give you any more burden to bear for me."

"Mulder, you know that's not true." Her eyes were clear and begged for more.

"It's really under control. My depression and my stress disorder. When I stay active I'm fine, keep the mind focused on anything but my own problems. Like always, you know. It's just then when I found out about," I paused and glanced at a family portrait that hung from the wall. She followed my gaze and sighed. I broke the quiet, "It was hard enough accepting that you had left everything behind, but then that you had actually moved on, had a family. It was unbearable. The whole time I was in recovery, even when they still had me captive, I focused on one thing to get me through it alive."

She whispered, "Me."

I nodded, "I know it's unfair to do this to you, but I had to know you were happy, for my own sanity or whatever is left of it."

"I am happy Mulder." I cringed and she must have noticed for her hand reached for mine and squeezed it, "I am happy with Dave and Will and my life. I'm happy with this house and my work and with everything."

"I'm sorry, Scully, for---."

She touched my lips with her fingers and silenced me, "But I'm miserable without you. I have been, don't think I didn't suffer every day you were missing. Everyone gave up but me and Skinner, but after all those months… Mulder I thought deep down that if you were still alive out there that you would have come home to me by then. And since you hadn't, I felt that was the proof that I had lost you."

Her hand moved and caressed my cheek, over scars that had long since healed, "Now that I know you're alive, everything's been altered. Shifted just so. And I don't know if I want it to go back to the way it was."

"Scully, I can't let you give this up. Your family, your work, your life, just as you said. I can go it alone, I know you're happy now, that's what I came for."

She glanced in the direction that her husband had left and then took a deep breath.

"I'll be fine, you've got them, I've got Skinner. Plus, I'm sure Mama Scully will check in on me every once and awhile. Especially if Skinman plays his cards right," I winked at her and her smile returned

That lasted too briefly for my taste.

Her face went solemn and both her hands grasped mine as her eyes studied them carefully. She laced her fingers with mine and then locked her eyes on me, steady, sure and very much Scully. She spoke smoothly, in that even, yet emotional tone that I hadn't heard since the last time I saw her before Skinner and I had left for Oregon.

"I have something to tell you."

X

"I made this!"

X


	16. Epilogue

Title: A Man Who…: Epilogue

Author: DC Luder

Disclaimer: FM, DS, MS, WS belong to them crazy CC and Co. out in LA.

Summary: The epilogue to the events in A Man Who through Scully's eyes.

Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed and commented on this story. The very first chapter had been nothing more than a writing assignment for class and I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams that it would have grown to this size. Fan fic readers… I salute you… 3 DC

X

The September sky was warm and cloudless that afternoon, the sounds of laughter and a basketball match interrupted the quiet air. I sat on the swing porch, dressed in jeans and a light blue tee and sipped icy pink lemonade. I rocked back and forth; the only sound heard was that of the creaking swing, even with the boys giglging and calling out "Pass to me!"

A warm hand gripped my shoulder and was followed by a hard flat stomach pressed against my back. I leaned into it, feeling the comfort envelope me. I could sense the smile that I presumed to dominate his face. I was about to ask him what he was thinking when the warmth disappeared. I turned to see…

Mulder, a dollop of frosting in the corner of his lip. He had been inside, getting Will's birthday cake ready for the party. He had also cooked on the barbeque in the back yard, and now the neighbor hood smelled of chicken and grilled vegetables. He put his hands on my shoulders and kneaded softly, "What's the score?"

"Last I had was eleven billion to twelve gazillion, but who can keep track?" I replied as I turned and sat back in the swing, forcing his hands off of me. I pointed at my own mouth and commented, "Missed a spot, Mulder."

He smirked and wiped at his face, then licked his finger, "Frosting good."

"Did you leave any on the cake?"

"A bit, enough to write 'hapi b day w.' Think he'll mind?"

"I doubt it. He's too sugared up as it is thanks to your 'Happy Birthday Breakfast Root Beer Float,' I'm surprised he's not in a sugar coma."

Mulder smiled at his handy work and then glanced back into the house. He listened quietly and then blew a low, quick whistle. I listened to the clatter of toenails and awaited the arrival of Rocky. The beagle popped out of the open door and wiggled his way over to me. I scratched his ears and patted his back before he spotted Will and then rabbited over to his favorite human.

Shortly after we had moved to Virginia, Mulder had picked Will up from school and had taken a slight detour to a farm three miles out of the way. When I had gotten home from work at the hospital, Will was in the backyard trying to teach the chubby pup how to play fetch. Although not the Doberman he had wanted, Will loved that little dog with all of his heart and would always plead with Mulder to take him to the park so he could walk him.

It had been three years since Mulder had come back into my life. For the first year, he had rented an apartment in town in New York and had slowly gotten himself acquainted with his son. When I had told him my secret, I had expected anger, but what I had gotten was tears of joy. I had never seen Mulder happier, and I had doubted that I ever would.

Two years ago, I filed for divorce with Dave.

He said he understood, but I doubted that. No one understood the relationship between Mulder and I. Afterall, we were just about as clueless as anyone else. He stayed in New York and visited us regularly. During summer breaks, Will traveled up north on the train with me and he stayed to be with Dave while I returned home to Mulder.

And there, in the quiet rural home, Mulder and I lived quietly and peacefully. We had no plans of marriage and I doubted he ever would. We were fine just the way we were, together after all the time apart, we didn't need the paper to demostrate our love for one another.

And for our son.

I watched as Mulder stared off at the boys playing basketball in our driveway. He glanced back at me, an eager smile on his face, "Can I Mom?"

I laughed and slapped his sholder, "Go on, don't get dirty."

He took the porch steps three at a time and jogged over to the drive. Will waved at him before making a jump shot and another point for his team of three. Now nine years old, Will was big into sports, especially with Mulder support for him. Dave had always loved them, but as a spectator, not a participant. In the fall, Mulder often took Will to the golf range on Saturday mornings and they would spend a few hours together on the green.

Making up for lost time.

Mulder joined Will's team and the opposition whined and then decided to attack Mulder. They clamped their arms around his legs and tried to weigh him down to the pavement. He laughed at them and passed the ball to his son. Mulder then grabbed Will and lifted him up next to the rim, allowing him to make a slam-dunk.

Everyone cried out at once, the winners with victory screams and the losers declaring a need for another match. I laughed as Rocky began barking and jumping on Mulder's leg. He rubbed the dog's head, "Looks like we've got ourselves a cranky referee." The dog got down, shook his head, and then trotted over to the grass and began attacking a fallen tree leaf.

Mulder seized the ball and dribbled a few times. I heard Will's best friend, Ray, ask Mulder to do a penalty line shot. Mulder dribbled a few more times, passed the ball between his legs and then stepped back to the chalk drawn line. He set up carefully, and shot the ball, grinning as it cleared the hoop without touching the rim at all.

Will cried out, "Nothin' but net!"

Before the boys could ask Mulder to do anymore "amazing feats" a car honked from further down the road. I rose, setting my cup down and made my to the yard. Skinner's black SUV pulled up and parked next to our mailbox. To my surprise, my mother came out of the driver's side and Skinner was on the opposite part of the vehicle.

Will noticed them as well and called out "GRANDMA!"

I watched him race across the yard, leapt over Rocky and then embraced my mother.

Mulder entertained the boys Will had abandoned by spinning the ball on his pinkie finger. I called out, "Boys, why don't we go in and wash up, then we can eat and have cake."

"CAKE!" the screamed in unison and trampled towards the house. I nodded at Mulder, telling him silently to manage the herd. He saluted and followed them in, shutting the door behind him.

"Hello, sweetheart," Mom grinned as she released Will and took me into her arms.

I kissed her cheek, "Good to see you."

"You too, and look at this child, you seem much bigger than when I saw you last!"

Will giggled, "That was last week."

Skinner walked over and pinched Will's bicep, "My word, stronger too. Been working out?"

"Mulder takes me to the gym every week, we pump it up!" Will's face went serious and he flexed his arm, showing off a miniscule arm muscle on his lean arm. "Grr!" he declared. Will had decided to keep calling Dave "Dad" and had asked if it was okay to call his father "Mulder". Neither of us had minded but in the last few weeks, Mulder had reported to me of thirteen accidental slip-ups where Will had called him "Dad."

Skinner, in his polo, pulled back a sleeve and flexed his own bicep, with superimposed Will's by at least ten times, and then growled just as Will had. As we laughed, I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. A blue sedan, rental by the looks of it.

There was only one guest who needed a rental car to get here.

"Dad!" Will cried out as he raced over to the just parked car. Dave stepped out, wearing jeans and a tan striped polo, and took Will into his arms before getting all of the way out of his seat.

"Hey, kiddo, I've missed you!"

The three of us watched their quiet embrace and I appeared to be the only one who didn't feel out of place. I watched as Will followed Dave when he popped the trunk and retrieved a large box wrapped in reflective blue paper. "You'll have to wait though, okay, until after cake."

"I know, but can I shake it?"

Dave laughed and handed it to Will, "Sure, go put it with the rest of them inside, okay?"

Will grinned and then took off with the gift and disappeared into the house. Dave shut the trunk then walked over to me, "Hi, Dana."

"Dave," I kissed him and hugged him. He was hurt when I left him for Mulder, but since then he had found a new life. Director of the hospital in addition to his continuation as chief of emergency medicine. And a fiancée. "Allie couldn't come?"

"Nope, she wanted to but she ended up getting the shift I took off at the ER. Luck of the draw."

I released him and Mom moved right in, "Hello, David, so nice to see you."

"You too, Margerat."

Skinner, still not all to friendly with anyone he hadn't known for at least five years, settled on shaking hands instead of a friendly hug. The air had grown quiet, with the boys inside and the road free of traffic.

"Hey, I made need some back-up in here, they saw the cake and I think anarchy is a brewin'."

We all looked to see Mulder in the doorway, with kids running around behind him.

He spotted Dave and gave a curt nod. Dave responded in the same manner.

Although far from friends, they had decided to be as amiable as possible.

For me. For Will.

"Well, we better go help, hate to have them wreck the house too much," I sighed and lead the way through the yard. Once on the porch, I retrieved my glass and then allowed everyone to file in as Mulder held the door. He spoke as the moved through, "Food's set up in the kitchen: hotdogs, hamburgers, the works."

When it was my turn to walk in he held his arm in the way, "Password?"

"The Truth is Out There."

He laughed, "Close, but not quite."

"Do I get a hint?"

"Do you need one?"

Pure Mulder.

I finally said, "I love you."

He leaned over and kissed me on the lips, "That's not it but it works for me." He moved aside and headed towards the dining room where the boys had begun to see who could eat a hot dog the fastest. I watched as he calmed them down with the promise of cake and a movie if they could remain civilized for at least fifteen minutes.

He was indeed a man of many talents, my Mulder.

A man who had the heart to take me back after I had left him so many years ago.

A man who had the quiet hands to raise my son and hold me in his arms at night.

A man who would mine, now and for always.

X

"I made this!"

X


End file.
